April 17, 2011

Kia Ora!

This past week we went on a short vacation to Kaiteriteri on the north end of the South Island. Kaiteriteri is a very small vacation town between Abel Tasman National Park (to the west) and the city of Nelson (to the east). The beaches of Abel Tasman and Kaiteriteri are renowned in New Zealand, and for good reason. The relatively unconsolidated granite bedrock of the region readily erodes away, producing golden sand, which in turn forms crescent-shaped beaches between steep rocky headlands. Dramatic and picturesque!

Having first rented a small bach (to Canadians, a cabin (west) or a cottage (east)) in Kaiteriteri for $90 per night, we left Christchurch heading north along the east coast. The weather was perfect for a long drive – very sunny and not too warm. We first stopped for a few hours at a rocky beach just north of Kaikoura. Aya and I explored among the rocks, and we almost walked into a New Zealand fur seal. It barked a bit at us, but it didn’t seem otherwise too concerned. Across the road from the beach, the rusting hulk of a steel-hulled yacht was lying in the grass. Spray-painted across the hull were the words “FOR SALE”, which immediately had me daydreaming about buying a boat, fixing it up, and sailing throughout Polynesia looking for good surf breaks.

Continuing the drive north, we passed through the increasingly arid but starkly beautiful country around Blenheim with its abundant vineyards. From Blenheim, we got a bit sidetracked, and drove north to Picton. Picton is really beautiful – steep, forested mountains that plunge down into the sea, forming inlets and numerous islands. The downside of driving through Picton is that we had to drive a VERY winding road for 20 km to get back on the highway to Nelson. Rowan made it as far as Governors Bay before he threw up. Good times. Still, the drive was interesting, and worthwhile (despite the fact that we had to drive about 50kph for an hour or so).

We finally arrived at our bach in Kaiteriteri, aptly named Manuka Heights (it was in a grove of manuka trees, and was high enough above the ocean to provide awesome views of the bay). Warren, the owner of the bach, was generous enough to also provide us with a big bowl of apples (many varieties of apple, pear, cherry, etc. are grown in the Nelson area). We woke the next day, and went down to Kaiteriteri Beach. Aya and Rowan had a lot of fun there over the next three days, playing in the sand and water. Even though it was a bit cool (daytime highs were probably only about 18C), the water was still relatively warm (it was probably about 18 or 19C). We swam a fair bit in the clear blue-green water (well, Aya and I did, Shelley thought it too cold, and Rowan is a bit cautious of the water), and I went snorkeling three times as well. I had bought a cheap mask and snorkel at The Warehouse (like Walmart) for $13, and while it leaked like mad it still provided me with a great diving experience. At Kaiteriteri you can snorkel and dive among GIANT submerged boulders, which means lots of drama and lots of fish. I saw a lot of other sea life as well, including a giant 10-armed lavender starfish. Very nice!

Aya and I spent a great deal of time looking in rock pools as well. At low tide, we found a lot of starfish, sea urchins, and crabs, all of which were very exciting. The beaches there are very photogenic; I’ll post some pictures, although pictures never look as nice as the real thing.

We went for a short walk in Abel Tasman National Park, as well. You can’t really drive into the Park, which is fine with me, and we walked along the first kilometer of the trail which crosses a big estuary. From the bridges, we watched thousands of tiny crabs emerge from their holes dotting the mudflat – very cool just to watch them crawling around / foraging / doing whatever crabs do. Just outside the park, we did a short hike down to the iconic Split Apple Rock, a large round boulder - split perfectly in half - lying in the shallows just offshore. Very pretty.

Every morning we went for coffee at Kaiteriteri. There is a nice café there, with a patio overlooking the ocean. That’s pretty much all I need for a good vacation, actually; (1) coffee at a nice café, (2) snorkeling and diving with the fishes. I could add (3) bouldering, but the rock there was too crumbly to climb on. Otherwise, I could have had it all. I did manage to go for a nice 8km run one morning, which was very nice – running amidst the bellbirds and tuis.

We wanted to drive to Takaka and see all the sights there (Pupu springs, Harwood’s Hole, etc.). On the second day there, we tried - but only made it only about six kilometers up the INCREDIBLY winding road before Rowan threw up (despite having eaten Gravol). Aya was looking pretty green as well, so we turned around and went back to Kaiteriteri. Maybe another time…

On the day we were scheduled to leave, we woke up to wet and stormy weather. We had been lucky enough to have warm sunny weather for our entire stay; we felt fortunate, as we are well into late autumn here in New Zealand. We drove into Nelson and had breakfast at The Yello Café. Breakfast in New Zealand is frustrating for breakfast-loving Canadians. You can buy a nice breakfast here, but it is (1) VERY expensive (e.g. toast will run you $6, pancakes will run you $14), and (2) not any better than Canada. At any rate, Nelson is a very beautiful little city. After a bit of a walkaround in the rain, we got back in the car and headed back to Christchurch. We drove southward via a different route that our northward trip, and went through Lewis Pass. New Zealand is a beautiful country, and is amazingly empty. My kind of country, really!

In the end, Shelley and I agreed that the south island of New Zealand looks a LOT like British Columbia, especially where pine trees have replaced native forest. While driving, we’d often say “this looks like McBride”, or “this looks a lot like Kelowna”. There are two important differences, though. First, New Zealand (at least the south island) is a LOT tidier than BC. Less trash, less garbage piled about, and almost a complete lack of abandoned rusting vehicles in the yards we drove past. People in New Zealand seem to take a great deal of pride in maintaining the land they inhabit. Second, you are never far from the ocean in New Zealand. Generally speaking, you are less than two hours drive from the beach if you are ANYWHERE on the south island. The longer I am in New Zealand, the more I think that living near the ocean is a necessary thing.

So, we’re back in Christchurch. We had another big aftershock last night (magnitude = 5.3), which had us a little spooked (only Aya did the correct thing – she was under the table, holding onto a table leg, like a shot). Ahead of us, another week of work! I’m finishing up an OLD manuscript and starting some insect identification this week, while Shelley is working on a paper on her post-doctoral work here. We’re planning on heading back to Canada sometime in the next two months or so.

On a final note… HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our fathers (who share a birthday), and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all the Gagnons who have just turned another year older (Joshua, Chiharu, and Jes). Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Dan Gable, and Ryan Dorward. (If I have forgotten anyone’s birthday, feel free to email and berate me.) GOOD LUCK to Merle and Jared, who are still somewhere in Australasia, as far as I know… Finally, I need to email Tracy N., who is considering writing a paper with me… ;)

That’s all for now! Take Care!

Trent